Oyster-opening machine



l 2 8 T l E E 9 H S 3 A. s T 1 E 1 E H S 4 .R AEM.

Dec. 19 1922.

Dec. 19 1922. 1,439,181

A. P. MANDVILL.

4 OYsTER OPENING MAcHINE.

FILED MAY-8. 1922. 4 sHEETssHEET 3 Dec. 19 1922.v 1,439,181

A4 P. MANDVILL. OYSTER OFEMNG MACHINE,

FILED MAY 8. 1922. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4 1 ATTORNEY weightedendportionf` The ha,

moved troni the prongs ol; the lever by its incalci Gl causes thcebladeQ, atterit has been ad#` vanced betweentheoyster 'and shell, to be swung vupwardly so that it cuts the cords whereby the oysteristedfto` the shell` and this allows the oyster t( a.ll `from theislrell and into a'receptacle` that'yis held within the trame?" as shown in jFigure', l. y

As the block 58 isftiljted upwardly. the a'rni 63 is disengaged from the lever', and the latter `is theiry allowed to continue `upwardly to itslinlit under the inliuei'lcept itslower l ,hell rebeing broughtintofcontactfwith pin. `67

that extends laterally `fir-oren a `post (38 liXed tothe fra'melg. the -pin being"y position to engage Ithe `shell lal't'erthe lever `is released by `the stop'` armjl on the yblfmtlr' 58.

The shells frointhe.conveyor may be caught` in a suitable receptacle 7() at theend of theframe and` those from the level/"in a; re ceptacle 7l at the forward side. y

Assuming; that the machine is so con` structed,y its operation would be as :follows `The unshelled oysters are placed within the hopper 5 and, as the conveyor belt t advances, the oysters are moved thereby toward the opening mechanism. The operator of the machine stands at one side of the belt and individually places the oysters in proper position within the spring` fingers 9 ol the links et.

In the machine, all the operating parts are synchronized so that the shell opening); mechanism operates while the conveyor belt is standing still. and so that the knife for removing;V the oyster from the upper part of the shell is advanced a'lter the lever has been stopped by the arm 63.

As the oysters are advanced by the belt to a position alined with the blade 37, the latter is advanced by the reciprocal movement of the block :l2 coni'lected by the rods 30 and 31 with thecrank shaft '12. uThe torward edge ot this blade enters between the two halves oil the shell and pries the shell apart, and. at the saine timeruts the oyster loosefron'i the lower portion. rlhe lever arm 42 is then swungv downwardly so that the spring clips at its end enirages with the upper half of the shell in such manner that when thelever swings upwardly; it carries that part of the shell and the oyster with it. The block 5S is' then advanced so that the arm 6?) is extenrled into the path of the lever /l-Q to retain the latter in position so that the lni'le (32 may be advanced between the oyster and the shell. Upward tilting or" the block 58, due to the movement of the rollers 60 thereon7 into the upwardly ttf inclined portiijlli ofli'the slot (il causes the knife to be` moved upwardly to rut the oyster `from i the shell so that it: may drop into the receiving receptacle, li'ollowing`r outward movement of the block 58 releases the leverl-Q-so that it may discharge its shell as previously described. eration is repeated continuously and `with each `operation an oyster is separated troni its shell. M y

lt is amjarent that a machine of thischaracter would be relativelyinexpensive to op. erate, could be made veryy con'ipact and the number ot oysters that `could be opened lthereby would onlyy be limited by the` rate at which the operator could place them properly upon the conveyor belt.

`having` thus described my inven'tioin'what l claim as new therein and desire to secure` by Letters`-l"atent7 is:

l.l .fyinachine of the cla' described conlprising.. in combinatioiu a conveyor belt provided with ineansitor retaining iin-shelled oysters therei'in. a recipriumllly more `le blade operable to fseiiarate the twoA hall yshells ol the oysters asitliey are advanced thereto by the beltand for cutting the oystersloose troni thelow'er hall shell, a swingingly movable lever operable' toward and 'trom the belt7 havingl means thereon "lor gripping the upper halves oit the shells to litt them from the lower halves, a blade operable for cutting the oysters loose tronrthe lifted plortion ot the shells@ means tor intermittently advaimingY the belt. and means for actuating the blades and lever in synchronism with the belt movement.

2. A device ot the character described conn)rising7 in combination, a horizontally moving conveyor belt, having links thereof equipped with means for retaining` unshelled oyC rs thereon, a reciprocally movable blade having` its end portion disposed in position to be advanced into the-oyster shells between vthe upper and lower halves thereof to sepay advancing); the conv Y ali, e the unshelled oysters ce ried thereby the path ot the opening` blade and means 'tor actuating;` the other parte in synohroi'iism with the belt movement.

This lmode ot op? y f3. A machine ol the class describedq comn y pr'islng,

iu coinbinatiom a hopper tor roceivinp; unsbelleil oysters and having a dis-- thereon and eonnjrising .a plurality olglinks provided with means for holding` the unslielled oysters, a crank shatt,` means oonneoted `with the crank shaft for) intermittently advaneing'the belt, a reoiproeally movable bloei; operatively Connected -with the crank shaftA a blade iixed to theblool; 7

"and adapted,v by reciproeation of the latter,

to be projected within the shells `advanced `thereto by the belt to separate the two halves of the shellsv and to out the oysters loose from the lower halves, a swingingly mounted lever,v means operated by the 'crank shaft for actuating the lever toward and Jfrom the v belt; the lever havingspring clips at itsend adapted to engage the upper halves of the..

shells to lift them, with the oysters therein, from the lower halves7 a reoiprooally` movable bloei; operated from the crank shaft, having a stop arm thereon movable into the path ot' the lever, a knife on the block, means for .actuating the block to Cause the knife to out the oysters from the lifted shells'and to then disengagev thestop arm from the lever, and a pin mounted to engage the shells ater the `lever has'been released to Cause then] to be'removed from the lever.

4. ln an oyster opening machine of the y ycharacter' leseribed7'the combination with an oyster opening mechanism, of a conveyor comprising a eontinuousbelt made up of pivotallyeonneoted links, Withlinks' at regu larly spaced intervals provided with spring lingers wherein oysters may be held, and means operating' in synchronism with the oyster opening means for advancing the `belt intermittently to yposition the oysters earried by' the belt properly to be operated on "by the opening meohanisrn`-` jlna maehine'of,` the character ldesorihed,. the combination with an loyster opening deviee comprising ar reoiproeally moving blade having a sharpened end operable along a guide slot, and a Conveyor comprising a linlhelt having links at Certain intervals y provided with spring' lingers wherein oysters may` be held, a crank shaft 

